A 78-year-old man is facing a raft of firearms charges after police uncovered a stash of 36 guns, a silencer and a quarter-tonne of ammunition at his northern Tasmanian property.
The haul was discovered during a random firearms storage inspection at the man’s Norwood home in Launceston on Friday.
Officers initially located four registered firearms stored illegally in a car in the backyard, along with ammunition left unsecured throughout the garage.
A further search of the property uncovered another eight firearms – all unregistered – which were also being stored incorrectly.
Police also found a stripped bolt-action rifle believed to have been stolen from a home in nearby Patersonia in 2015, as well as a silencer and a number of illegal firearm parts.
The man’s firearms licence was immediately suspended.
Police later seized an additional 27 registered firearms from the property, along with about 250 kilograms of ammunition.
He is expected to face multiple charges, including possessing a stolen firearm, possessing unregistered firearms, possessing a silencer and breaching firearm storage requirements.
“Every unsecured or illegally held firearm represents a potential threat to community safety,” a police spokesperson said.
“Tasmania Police encourages anyone with concerns about illegal firearms or unsafe storage practices to contact Tasmania Police on 131 444 or Triple-Zero (000) in an emergency.”
